Part 3 (1/2)

IV The Five Ages of Childhood

A very ingenious statement of the case is made by Dr Bird T Baldwin

Children, says Dr Baldwin, have five ages,--

1 A chronological age, 2 A physical age, 3 A e

Two children, born on the sarow faster than the other in some physical respect Therefore the two children have different physical ages, or rates of develop e, a resultant of the first three, is a record of progress in school

Even when children are born on the sarow physically, mentally, and morally at exactly the saress in school, are remote indeed School children are, therefore, inevitably different

V Age Distribution in One Grade

A very effective illustration of the differences in chronological age, in school age, and in the rate of progress in school is furnished in the 1911 report of the superintendent of schools for Springfield, Mass

There are in this report a series of figures dealing with the ages, and tifield The first table shows the nurade pupils

TABLE 1

_Age and Tifield, Decees School 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total -----------------------------+---+----------------------------------- 1 | 1|1 22 1 1| 1| 2 2 9 36 38 25| 9|1 180 4162 200| 63| 12 10 3450 -----------------------------+---+----------------------------------- 517 178|131| 47 14 2389 -----------------------------+---+----------------------------------- 61 11|120| 60 29 3224 7 1| 3| 46 29 8 1188 8 | 1| 4 17 4 128 9 | |4 15 10 | |11 11 | |

12 | |

13 | |

Total8 219 416|329| 171 102 26 311,275 -----------------------------+---+-----------------------------------

Theoretically, children in Springfield enter the school at six, and spend one year in each grade If all of the children in the Springfield schools had lived up to this theory, there would be 1,275 eleven years of age, and 1,275 in the fifth grade A glance at the table shows that only 131, or about 10 per cent of the children, are both eleven years of age and five years in the school Arade children, 389, or 31 per cent, have been in school five years, and 329, or 26 per cent, are eleven years of age

The superintendent follows this general table with other tables giving a e pupils, and of rate of progress in school

TABLE 2

_Age and Progress Groups of Fifth-Grade Pupils in Springfield, Decee | Total | | | Per | Per | Per | Per No Cent | No Cent | No Cent | No Cent

Rapid 435 34 | 74 6 | 31 2 | 540 42 Normal 195 16 | 131 10 | 63 5 | 389 31 Slow 13 1 | 124 10 | 209 16 | 346 27 --- -- | --- -- | --- -- | ----- --- Total 643 51 | 329 26 | 303 23 | 1,275 100

The inferences frorade pupils, 435, or 34 per cent, are not only under-age for the grade, but they have progressed at more than norrade At the other extrerade, who need special attention because they are both over-age and slow Feeble-rade; hence we know that none of these are feeble- their number will be found many ill be little profited by the ordinary curriculum; 110 of them are already 12 years old, and 75 are 13 years old A majority of them will, in all probability, drop out of school as soon as they reach the age of 14, unless prior to that time some new ele appeal; for example, some activity toward a vocation

A further study of the over-age colue, but they have reached their present position in less than usual tie, have required the full five years to reach their present grade position Unless by lie pupils to the essentials, or by so with relatively small numbers in a class, so that we can in the one case ress, there is little likelihood that any large nurade, h school course; for four years hence their ages will range froe, but slow, are also subjects for special attention, for they have repeated frorades, or have failed to secure froer of acquiring the fatal habit of failure, if they have not already acquired it

The superintendent then goes on to e on each principal, to exa capacities of individual children in his school Without such an understanding real educational progress cannot becould more effectually show variation in individual children than the difference in one city grade of the ress in school The infinitely greater variations in the subtle characteristics that distinguish children can be uessed at than measured Under these circue child” is anized, but it will hardly e numbers of the individual children who take it

VI Shall Child or Subject Matter Coe child, and then prepared a course of study which would fit his needs The new education recognizes the absurdity of averaging unlike quantities, and accepts the ulti in needs, capacity, outlook, energy, and enthusiase can be struck, but when it is applied to children it is a hypothetical and not a real quantity There is not, and never will be, an average child; hence, a school systee child fits the needs of no child at all